Devil's Due
' |image= |series= |production=40274-187 |producer(s)= |story=Philip LaZebnik and William Douglas Lansford |script=Philip LaZebnik |director=Tom Benko |imdbref=tt0708702 |guests=Marta DuBois as Ardra, Paul Lambert as Howard Clarke, Marcelo Tubert as Acost Jared, Thad Lamey as Devil Monster, Tom Magee as Fek'lhr |previous_production=The Wounded |next_production=Clues |episode=TNG D13 |airdate=4 February 1991 |previous_release=The Wounded |next_release=Clues |story_date(s)=Stardate 44474.5 |previous_story=The Wounded |next_story=Clues }} =Summary= The USS Enterprise receives a distress call from Dr. Howard Clarke, the leader of a Federation scientific delegation on Ventax II, where the population is in a state of panic because they are convinced that their world will soon end. After the Enterprise arrives, they rescue Dr. Clarke who brings them up to date: a thousand years ago, according to Ventaxian history, the population entered a Faustian deal with Ardra, their mythology's devil. In exchange for ending wars and restoring the ecological balance, and improving their heavily polluted planet, the population would become the personal slaves of Ardra a thousand years later. As the millennium is about to come to a close, the planet has recently begun experiencing mild earthquakes as well as seeing images of Ardra in the skies. These were said to be signs of her arrival. As Captain Picard and Commander Data discuss the matter with the Ventaxian leader, a woman appears in the chamber, announcing herself as Ardra. She proves her identity by starting an earthquake at will, and transforming into both the Christian and then the Klingon devil. Ardra states that she has come to claim the planet. Picard is instantly suspicious and orders Data to examine the contract that supposedly was signed by Ardra and the leaders of the planet a thousand years ago. Picard returns to the Enterprise afterwards, and Ardra appears on the bridge sitting in the Captain's chair. Security Chief Worf tries to remove her without success, Data returns just then and confirms the language of the contract as well as Ardra's claim to the planet, including anything in orbit, including the Enterprise. Later, in a meeting with the senior staff, Picard expresses his belief that she is a con-artist and points out that all of her "powers" can be recreated with theatrically delivered technology. After the meeting, Picard goes to bed for the evening. As Picard sleeps, Ardra appears and tries to seduce him but he rejects her. She transports him to the planet dressed in his pyjamas. Data comes to collect Picard by shuttle after Worf is unable to transport him back the normal way. When Picard and Data attempt to return to the Enterprise, the ship disappears. Not knowing what to do, they return to the planet. Citing old legal precedent, Picard calls for a Ventaxian arbitration hearing, which Ardra agrees to as long as Data acts as the arbitrator, as he will act with impartiality, to which Picard agrees. During the course of the hearing, Chief Engineer La Forge and Clarke discover that Ardra has a cloaked ship nearby, that she is indeed using technology to simulate magic, and that she is a known criminal. Picard has an away team led by Commander Riker take control of Ardra's ship, giving Picard control of Ardra's "powers". He demonstrates the fraud and she is taken into custody by local authorities. Picard explains to the leader of the planet that the people themselves improved their planet gradually through hard work and dedication. =Errors and Explanations= Changed Premesis # In Day of the Dove, Kang claims the Klingons have no devil, but in this episode, Ardra changes into Fek'lhr, a being she groups with other races' versions of the devil. Ardra was confused, as Fek'lhr is actually the guardian of Gre'thor, the hereafter where dishonoured Klingons go after they die, which isn't the same thing. Internet Movie Database Plot holes # It seems unlikely Ventaxian law would allow for someone to contract with another in a way in which it would allow for a claim to property of a third party. The Ventaxians did not own the Enterprise, and could not give it away. Even Picard could not give the ship away, because he didn't own it. That's not the point - Ardra claimed ownership of the Enterprise simply because it was in orbit of Ventax. Nit Central # Anonymous on Friday, December 31, 1999 - 1:13 pm: Can we spell Prime Directive. It was an internal Ventaxian matter. '' Chris Booton (Cbooton) on Tuesday, January 11, 2000 - 10:22 am:'' I think that there were Federation hostages on the planet when she arrived. She ordered them released and the people holding them complied. At this point Picard tried to leave but Ardra would not let them saying she now owned the Enterprise. This is why Picard had to neogitiate. It's true that if she left the Enterprise alone that they would have left and she would have ended up with full control over the planet. # About Ardra's powers, she "was" using standard technology, how did she disable the internal comunication system and door for Picards quarters? The rest of the ship was obviously unaffected, otherwise someone would have noticed. She may have added some unique modoifications. # fred on Sunday, May 12, 2002 - 1:46 pm: The Ventaxians made a deal with the devil to stop wars, clean up the environment, etc.? Why didn't they make a deal with God to do that? All that nice peace-and-environment stuff sounds like something God would approve of, not the devil. LUIGI NOVI on Sunday, May 12, 2002 - 2:12 pm: They made a deal with Ardra because Ardra was the one who appeared to them and offered them that deal. I think the reason Jared continues to believe the Ardra was responsible was intended as a metaphor for the way religious fanatics/Biblical literalists today answer questions about how the Bible can be literally true in spite of all the scientific evidence that it cannot be: They simply say "God makes it possible," or "God works in mysterious ways," or "God made so that it looks that way." Jared probably believes that Ardra "made" it possible for the people to do what they did to clean up their act. # Rene on Wednesday, October 16, 2002 - 1:48 pm: What exactly did convince Picard that Ardra was a fraud when she first showed up? Anonymous on Wednesday, October 16, 2002 - 3:30 pm: He read the scpipt. Rene on Wednesday, October 16, 2002 - 3:34 pm: Mostly likely. :) But seriously though, he bet his soul on the fact she was a fraud. That was risky given he had NOTHING to go on. Especially in the Trek Universe, that has beings like Q, Trelane's race, Apollo and the other Greek gods,...so why was he so sure that Ardra wasn't real. Seniram Gut instinct? # Neon on Friday, March 07, 2003 - 2:27 am: One thing I noticed while watching this ep tonight...at the beginning of the ep where Picard & Co. are in the Conference Room discussing the hostage situation, Picard says that he wants Worf, Geordi, Data, and himself to beam down, and then he asks Troi to "come as well". Once they beam down, there's only Worf, Data, Picard, and Troi - what happened to Geordi? '' Darth Sarcasm on Friday, March 07, 2003 - 11:50 am:'' I have not seen the episode in a while. But according to the copy of the script in my TNG Companion CD-ROM, Picard only asks Data and Worf (and later Troi) to accompany him to the surface. =Sources= Category:Episodes Category:The Next Generation